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Willie Howard Mays, Jr., nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid" is a retired professional baseball player, was born May 6, 1931 in Westfield, Ala. He spent the majority of his Major League Baseball career as a center fielder with the New York and San Francisco Giants (1951-71) before finishing with the New York Mets (1972-73). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility.

On May 24, 2004, Mays received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Yale University. On December 6, 2005, he received the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for his accomplishments on and off the field. On July 30, 2006, he was the Tee Ball Commissioner at the 2006 White House Tee Ball Initiative

On June 10, 2007, Mays received an honorary doctorate from Dartmouth College. At the 2007 All-Star Game in San Francisco, Mays received a special tribute for his legendary contributions to the game and threw out the ceremonial first pitch. On December 5, 2007, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Mays into the California Hall of Fame, at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.